Remote medicine

James Glover II / Star staff Scrub Tech Hugo Rivera, left, watches as Dr. Lois Barnes assists in a prostatectomy using the da Vinci Surgical System at Community Memorial Hospital on Oct. 28. The da Vinci is a robot that assists surgeons and allows for smaller incisions.

Juan Carlo/ Star Staff Dr. Herb Rogove in Ojai zooms in to check the pupils of nurse Jennifer Kramer at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital &amp; Medical Center through his robot via Internet. He leads a company that uses robots to help doctors treat patients. Robotics are being used by hospitals more often to improve quality of surgical procedures and to make sure trauma patients get immediate attention.

James Glover II / Star staff Scrub Tech Hugo Rivera, left, watches as Dr. Lois Barnes assists in a prostatectomy using the da Vinci Surgical System at Community Memorial Hospital on Oct. 29. The da Vinci is a robot that assists surgeons and allows for smaller incisions.

James Glover II / Star staff Surgeon Dr. Paul Silverman sits behind the controls of a da Vinci Surgical System during a prostatectomy at Community Memorial Hospital on Oct. 28. The da Vinci is a robot that assists surgeons and allows for smaller incisions.

James Glover II / Star staff Dr. Lois Barnes assists in a prostatectomy using the da Vinci Surgical System at Community Memorial Hospital on October 28, 2009. The da Vinci is a robot that assists surgeons and allows for smaller incisions.

James Glover II / Star staff Da Vinci Robotics Coordinator Portia Carter adjusts a screen during a prostatectomy in which the surgeon used a robot to assist in the procedure at Community Memorial Hospital on October 29, 2009.

Juan Carlo/ Star Staff Dr. Herb Rogove in Ojai talks to a nurse and a doctor through his robot through the Internet. He leads a company that uses robots to help doctors treat patients. He was driving one of the robots in a training room in a Fountain Valley hospital. Robotics are being used by hospitals more often to improve quality of surgical procedures and to make sure trauma patients get immediate attention.

Juan Carlo/ Star Staff Dr. Herb Rogove in Ojai leads a company that uses robots to help doctors treat patients. He was driving one of the robots in a training room in Fountain Valley Regional Hospital &amp; Medical Center. Robotics are being used by hospitals more often to improve quality of surgical procedures and to make sure trauma patients get immediate attention.